What To Expect From Airbus At The Farnborough International Airshow

The Farnborough International Airshow 2024 (FIA 2024) kicks off next week and Airbus will be hoping to make a splash with some major order announcements. The European planemaker has been a significant presence at every Farnborough Airshow since the company was founded in 1970.

At the last Farnborough Airshow in 2022, manufacturers announced orders exceeding $50 billion in value, although Airbus had a fairly unremarkable week with only 85 aircraft orders announced. Let’s explore what we can expect from Airbus at the upcoming FIA 2024.

Cebu Pacific A320neo order

News broke last month that Philippines-based airline Cebu Pacific was in the closing stages of sealing a deal with Airbus for up to 150 A320neo-family jets. Then, on July 2nd, the low-cost carrier revealed it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus consisting of a firm commitment for 102 A321neos and options for another 50 A320neos.

Photo: Skycolors | Shutterstock

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Cebu Pacific Air, a Philippines-based low-cost carrier, has signed a preliminary agreement to order up to 152 Airbus A320neo family aircraft.

This deal, according to list prices, is worth $24 billion, although Cebu Pacific will have secured a sizable discount given the scope of its order. The carrier has stated that the order will be wholly finalized during Q3 of this year, which is within the timeframe of the Farnborough International Airshow.

Lucrative Saudi interest

Saudi Arabia is in the process of establishing a brand-new national carrier, Riyadh Air, which has declared its ambitions of becoming a world-class global airline with a fleet of 200 aircraft by 2030. According to the airline’s CEO, Tony Douglas, it has already secured a deal for an undisclosed narrowbody type and is likely to announce which aircraft it has chosen next week.

Photo: Airbus

However, it has already opted for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner for its widebody fleet, so there’s a decent chance it could stick with the US planemaker and go for the 737 MAX rather than the A320neo.

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The airline’s executive did not detail which manufacturer it is planning to order from.

According to aviation analysts IBA, another Saudi carrier, Flyadeal, could also announce a widebody deal at Farnborough. Much like Riyadh Air, it could opt for Airbus or Boeing, with either the A330neo or 787 Dreamliner likely.

Vietnam Airlines regional order

Reports have indicated that Vietnam Airlines is in the market for a new regional fleet and will opt for the A220 or Embraer E2. With the airline already operating a mostly Airbus fleet, the A220 would slot in nicely, and a deal for 20 airframes could be announced next week.

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An order is not expected for several months.

However, it will face competition from Brazilian planemaker Embraer and its impressive E2 jet range, which it dubs the “Profit Hunter” due to its excellent economics. In fact, the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh, personally visited the company’s manufacturing facility last year.

Displays and flypasts

The Airbus A321XLR, which is expected to make its debut later this year with launch customer Iberia, will be the only Airbus plane performing a flight display at Farnborough. According to the FIA2024 website, the A321XLR will be making a flypast on all five days of the airshow, with specific timings to be confirmed soon.

Photo: Sergey Kohl | Shutterstock

The long-range narrowbody has already secured over 550 orders from customers ahead of its expected entry-to-service in November. As for its commercial ground displays, Airbus will be showing off an Air India A350-900, a JetBlue A220-300 and a Virgin Atlantic A330neo.